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Cancel Culture
Nov. 4th, 2019 08:15 pmI know, I know, "cancel culture isn't real, it's just what white men call consequences so they don't ave to suffer them."
But listen.
The woman who makes Hazbin Hotel is currently being subjected to a mass campaign of harassment because 5 years ago she saw a youtube clip of some women, thought they were hot, and drew fanart of them. Then found out a few weeks later that they were racist shitheads who had done blackface. Viv apologized for making art of them, never did so again, and moved on with her life.
What, I ask you, is demanding HH be taken off the internet because of Viv having done a fanart 5 years ago and then apologized for it and moved on, if not fucking cancel culture?
Which brings me to tonight's talking point.
Cancel culture definitely does, in fact, exist. But, it is not equipped to punish people in power. No rich white man has ever truly suffered because of being "cancelled by the left." Louis CK is getting bookings again, Jerry Seinfeld is doing whatever the fuck he does, James Gunn is back in charge of Guardians of the Galaxy's films...
Cancel culture cannot and does not harm people in power, because the peopel doing the "cancelling" do not have equivalent or greater power with which to bring consequences to bear.
But it does encourage mob justice, unrealistic standards, and inappropriate use of long past mistakes that have not continued into the present. And all of that is then turn against marginalized people. Small time queer artists, essayists, activists, etc are held to standards far above what even the biggest industry names are held to. Because the big industry names have the power, reputation, and backing necessary to shake right past that kind of mob.
And independent creators don't. Furthermore, independent creators are much more likely to actually be concerned about the peopel their creating for, and thus willing to actually internalize criticism. So not only can they not avoid it, but they're hit harder by it.
Cancel culture is actively detrimental to its own causes: it doesn't punish harmful people, only well meaning people doing their best.
So, I guess, this is a warning as much as it is a post: if you think cancel culture is not real, or that it's a good thing, etc, then you'll probably not want to associate with my content too long.
But listen.
The woman who makes Hazbin Hotel is currently being subjected to a mass campaign of harassment because 5 years ago she saw a youtube clip of some women, thought they were hot, and drew fanart of them. Then found out a few weeks later that they were racist shitheads who had done blackface. Viv apologized for making art of them, never did so again, and moved on with her life.
What, I ask you, is demanding HH be taken off the internet because of Viv having done a fanart 5 years ago and then apologized for it and moved on, if not fucking cancel culture?
Which brings me to tonight's talking point.
Cancel culture definitely does, in fact, exist. But, it is not equipped to punish people in power. No rich white man has ever truly suffered because of being "cancelled by the left." Louis CK is getting bookings again, Jerry Seinfeld is doing whatever the fuck he does, James Gunn is back in charge of Guardians of the Galaxy's films...
Cancel culture cannot and does not harm people in power, because the peopel doing the "cancelling" do not have equivalent or greater power with which to bring consequences to bear.
But it does encourage mob justice, unrealistic standards, and inappropriate use of long past mistakes that have not continued into the present. And all of that is then turn against marginalized people. Small time queer artists, essayists, activists, etc are held to standards far above what even the biggest industry names are held to. Because the big industry names have the power, reputation, and backing necessary to shake right past that kind of mob.
And independent creators don't. Furthermore, independent creators are much more likely to actually be concerned about the peopel their creating for, and thus willing to actually internalize criticism. So not only can they not avoid it, but they're hit harder by it.
Cancel culture is actively detrimental to its own causes: it doesn't punish harmful people, only well meaning people doing their best.
So, I guess, this is a warning as much as it is a post: if you think cancel culture is not real, or that it's a good thing, etc, then you'll probably not want to associate with my content too long.
